


Never Hit a Woman

by 1000PaperCranes



Series: Head Canon [3]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Childhood Memories, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-03-22 14:52:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3732982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1000PaperCranes/pseuds/1000PaperCranes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny looks at Kono, curling in on herself as she sits on a chair in Chin's office.  He feels physically sick, sitting down across from her.  He puts the bowl of ice and the first aid kit down on a box.  Time to make their girl feel better, or at least, hurt less.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is not at all where I was intending to go when I started this story.

No one could surf on O'ahu for very long without bumping into Kawika. Kono had actually met him a very long time ago. At five years old, Kono had decided she was ready to go surfing on her own. She had taken out her tiny little board and somehow made it to the beach all on her own. She doesn't remember that part. All she really remembers is how badly it hurt when she got stuffed by someone who didn't see her tiny little self.

And she remembers almost drowning. Little Kono had been terrified and having a very difficult time finding up. Then a pair of large hands had grabbed her, and a pair of strong arms had hugged her safely to a warm chest. When they surfaced, little Kono had burst into tears, gasping and panicking. She had been able to feel the person holding her treading, and not being fully stable had counteracted the comfort of his sure grip. Kono had been crying so hard, she can't remember now how she had gotten back onto her board, but a boy's face had smiled up at her from the water.

"My name's Kawika," he had said, climbing easily back onto his board. "What's yours?"

Kono doesn't remember answering, she remembers how _big_ her rescuer had suddenly seemed. Kawika would have been fourteen, and still quite small by teenage standards, but to a badly frightened five-year-old, he had been a giant. A gentle giant, who had soothed her and protected her, because she was just a little girl. Once Kono had admitted to coming out alone, Kawika had towed her to shore. He'd picked her up, carrying her up the beach and all the way home. The walk wasn't long, but it had seemed so to Little Kono, who couldn't shake the creeping feeling of the fright she'd had, and she had clung to him.

Arriving home had brought a whole new wave of fear, fear of how mad her parents would be. Kono had buried her face in Kawika's neck as he summoned them, hiding and still clinging. It was her luck that they hadn't been furious until later. They had fawned over her until Kawika left, promising her: "Next time, I'll teach you a few tricks." He'd tapped the end of her nose, a move obviously copied from someone older, and left with a smile and a wave. _Then_ her parents had lost their minds.

And there was a next time, many months later. Kawika was as good as his word, ignoring his friends cat-calls to teach Kono how to find her way out of a wave, among other things. There was no particular correlation between Kawika's family and the Kalakaua's, so it could be weeks or months between when they met up, but even as Kawika grew gangly then tall and strong, and Kono grew plenty, but stayed a little girl, the older boy never failed to give her his attention. His friends matured, too, and their jeers became whistles celebrating her talent, and low hoots commiserating her truly epic wipeouts.

The first time Kono ever saw Kawika hit someone, it had stunned her, caused a pain in her chest. He had always been so mild and genial, but then Kawika, now twenty, had carefully carried a boy of about ten to the lifeguards, and Kono had understood. That man had hurt that kid, and scared him pretty badly by the way the adults were milling and fussing.

Yesterday was the first day she had ever seen him _beat_ someone. A woman had dropped in on Katashi, a member of the Kapu, sending them both crashing. Katashi had followed her up onto the sand and hit her. Kawika had been hot on their trail, sensing trouble, and had let into Katashi. It was a surprise to Kono, but not to the Kapu. Kawika had swum back out to them, slashing angrily through the water. After he had straddled his board, and proceeded to float stiffly and silently for several minutes, Kono had to ask.

"I don't understand. She sniped his wave. What did he do?"

"He _hit_ her," Kawika bit out, turning to look at Kono. He was furious. Danny happened to be with them, and leaned around her, also confused.

"Isn't that _normal_ around here?"

" _No._ "

"You're gonna have to explain that one to me, Kawika; I'm a haole."

"You hit _men_. Not kids, and _definitely_ never women."

"Because the 'fairer sex' can't take a hit?" Kono was about to be very offended.

"Have you ever _seen_ a catfight?" Kawika's looked at her incredulously, as if that wasn't a bizarre question to ask a woman. Danny saved them both by answering.

"Sure. Chicks are vicious." He grinned, nudging Kono playfully. She knew there was a ninja comment in there somewhere and felt a bit better, despite herself.

"And they don't hear anything," Kawika agreed, finally getting to the explanation. Not that it made any sense. "Okay, okay." Kawika held up his hands, clearly resigning himself to an in-depth review. "Danny, when you met Steve, you tried to knock his teeth out."

"Yeah."

"He got the message? You worked better together? Now you're inseparable." Danny nodded along. "Lolo over there," Kawika indicated someone over his shoulder, which of the Kapu was probably not important. "He makes passes at a girl and she doesn't like it. She hits him. He backs off." Danny shrugged agreeably. "So we've established that, generally speaking, a guy gets hit and some kind of message is received?"

"I'll stipulate to that," Danny confirmed, "for now."

"That is not how it works with women. Two girls get in a fight and they come out of it _hating_ each other." Kono thought about it, fights between women really didn't ever seem to resolve anything. "That _tourist_? She didn't experience a lesson on not sniping someone's break; she learned Katashi is a _butthead_ and she hates him."

Kono mouthed 'butthead', bemused at the choice of words, but then heard from down the lineup several small voices chanting, 'Kawika said butthead!'

"So you beat the snot out of him?" Danny sounded like he was talking to Steve when trying to decide whether or not to break into a rant about proper police procedure.

"He _knows_ better. We've had this lesson before. There's no point in hitting anyone if they aren't going to learn from it." After a moment, Kawika amended, "Unless it's in defense."

"Hey, Kono," Danny says quietly, carefully pressing a piece of ice to the cut by her ear.

Kono hums, "Yeah?"

"Remember yesterday, what Kawika said about hitting girls?"

"That we don't learn anything?" She feels her mouth twist, half amused and half irritated.

Danny confirms her recollection with a look, asking mildly, "What did Adam's fist say to you?"

Kono thinks back. After a moment, Danny breaks her concentration. "No. Don't think so hard. That's not what I mean. You aren't a little girl who got spanked and now has to think about what she did." Kono smiles sadly, wincing a little at the memory of her father doing exactly that after Kawika had brought her home the day they met. She had still been spooked, and had gotten that instead of the coddling she wanted. It was a hard lesson, but a necessary one. "Kono, what did you learn the second Adam's hand connected with your skin?"

"That he was strong," is her first, immediate, memory. Reluctantly she adds, "And that he was willing to hurt me."

Danny is silent for a while, tenderly numbing and cleaning the small lacerations on her neck. "I think Kawika's right." Danny picks up a new ice cube. "All you learned was violence." They are quiet again as Danny works.

Lowly, Kono asks, "Danny, have you ever hit a woman?"

"Of course." Before Kono has the chance to be horrified at his casual admittance and apparent lack of remorse, Danny continues. "You've seen me do it. But those women were criminals who needed to be stopped." He looks her insistently in the eyes. "I have _never_ done this." The words are so solemn, in that way Danny has, that Kono immediately knows it's true. "I've thought about it, especially with Rachel, but thoughts are free." Kono's heart stops sinking. She already knew Danny was no saint, hearing him admit that only makes his promise stronger.

There was no need for Adam to do what he had done to her, if Danny had never hit Rachel after all the things she had done to him.

"'Thoughts are free.' Is that a Dannyism?" she tries to lift the mood.

Danny grins boyishly. "Actually, I learned _that_ from Captain Rogers. She's this tiny little thing on the NYPD. Usually says it when people stare. She and her sisters are real bombshells, and‒" Kono lets Danny's excited storytelling take her away from the current situation, lets herself forget that the man she loved hit her for going night surfing with a good friend, at least for a little while.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As always, middle of the night and un-beta'd. Please let me know if you find any mistakes.

Steve hefts Grace, wanting a cuddle despite the fact that she is really too old for this. It's nearly dark out, the last wandering rays of the sun catching the gold on the King Kamehameha statue in narrow gleams. He looks out at the Rain Trees, wondering how long Grace will let him treat her like a little girl.

How long it will be before she grows up.

How long it will be before she sees what Adam did to Kono, and what they will tell Grace when she does.

"Uncle Steve?" Grace perches gamely in Steve's arms. She senses something.

"Yeah, Gracie?" Steve tries to play it cool, to prolong the inevitable.

"What's wrong?" Snuggling close, Grace looks at King Kamehameha for a long moment. "Who got hurt?"

Damn, is she smart. "Who said anybody got hurt?"

"Well," Grace looks him in the eyes, and Steve knows he's done for. "You always tell me when something happens to Danno, and you came to get me instead, so he must be taking care of someone."

Steve sighs, squeezing Grace for a moment. "Kono." Before Grace can do more than take a breath, Steve continues, not sure why he feels the need to ramble. "But you right, Danno's taking care of it. She's gonna be fine. I just don't know what to do." And that is why Steve leaves the rambling to Danny. Yikes, what an admission. And to a fifth grader.

"You didn't catch the bad guy?" Grace sounds skeptical in the way that means she knows Steve is hiding something from her.

"It's not that easy," Steve sighs, again, holding her tightly.

"Why not?"

"Because it wasn't a bad guy. The only one who knows what happened is Kono, and she has to decide what to do about it." How does he explain this without introducing the concept of domestic violence to a kid like Grace?

"Was it Adam?"

Steve freezes. How could she know? How could she _guess_? What is even happening?

And because Steve's life makes no sense at all, the very next moment Kawika walks up, hands stuffed casually in his pockets.

Yeah right.

"Howzit." Kawika nods to them, more to Grace, Steve thinks, thought the next words are directed solely to the SEAL. "I have a package for you."

Steve looks Kawika over carefully. Something about him is… off, tense. "Okay. Where?"

"The truck." Steve nods, moving in the direction Kawika had come. "You might wanna take Gracie inside first." Feeling more unbalanced with every heavy word from the leader of the Kapu, Steve stops. Kawika responds to his look with a grasping motion. "You're gonna need both hands."

Steve puts Grace down, leading her inside by the hand. They take the stairs, allowing Steve time to dial Chin. A quick, "I'm bringing Grace up," has the man meeting them at the landing.

"Aloha, Grace." Chin sounds cheerful, normal, as he bends slightly to her eye level. "Danny's helping Kono, so you're just gonna have to hang with me." A short reassuring glance over her head to Steve, and Chin leads Grace away.

Outside, Kawika is waiting patiently for Steve in the middle of the parking lot. One of his boys, Steve can't see who, has pulled the truck into a row of empty spaces. They don't speak, Steve motions Kawika to lead the way, and once there Kawika in turn motions for Steve to look in the bed. Boosting himself up on the tailgate, Steve stops short.

Trussed up like a feral pig, Adam Noshimuri lays irate and gagged. Steve is _confused_ , but not surprised.

"Did Kono call you? Or Danny?" Hopping down, Steve moves to speak quietly with Kawika; Adam can probably hear them anyway, but the leader of Five-0 feels oddly furtive associating with the somewhat dubious citizen's arrest.

"Didn't need to. _Tojo_ there tore up Pupukea this morning." It's so unlike Kawika to use slurs, and the way he emphasizes it, like he can't think of something bad enough, would probably freak Steve out if he hadn't been trained to just deal with the crazy. "The boys ran him off and woke me up. Said he was looking for me. Then they told me what he was _saying_." Kawika pauses, scraping his teeth over his bottom lip ‒ an agitated step up from licking them, supplies a mental voice that sounds disturbingly like Jerry ‒ before locking gazes significantly with Steve. "I figured we'd bring him to you."

Steve decides to hedge his bets, find out what Kawika knows, despite the desire to simply beat the information out of Adam. "Why? And what took so long?"

"Took us a while to find him again." Glaring for a moment, in a way that says he knows exactly what Steve is doing, Kawika leads Steve back towards Five-0 headquarters. "The surf was unbelievable last night. Kono and I wound up staying out past dawn." Steve lets them inside. "If he was that pupule when he got to me…" They take the stairs, again. "Is Kono alright?"

"Danny's got her." Steve motions to Five-0's door down the hall, but hastens to caution his companion. "She's a little banged up, but nothing serious." Steve grabs Kawika by the arm before he can pull the door open. "Getting her to say anything about it was like pulling teeth." Kawika raises an eyebrow and Steve gets blunt. "She may not be happy to see you."

Steve stays by the door when Kawika slips quietly inside. Danny appears to have finished tending Kono's wounds, but they still sit silently knee to knee. Whatever drama Steve thought he was expecting never occurs. Kawika says something soft and low and in Hawaiian to Kono, delicately cupping her face before gently dropping a kiss in her hair.

To Steve's surprise, Kawika doesn't stay with them, but unobtrusively collects Grace and leads her to the kettle. The soft murmur of their voices and the susurrus of tea making just barely carry to Steve's ears, despite the otherwise silence.

With things quiet and calm, Steve steps back into the hall to call HPD. It's probably best that Duke handles Adam, any one of the men of Five-0 is likely to kill him with that easy an opportunity. Sergeant Lukela doesn't seem to care how the former local head of the Yakuza came to be immobilized in the bed of a Kapu pickup-truck in Five-0's parking lot, or really about any of the details at all, once Steve utters the words: "Adam hit Kono."


	3. Chapter 3

Danny sighs when Kawika hands him two mugs of tea and tells him that Steve needs to talk to him. Levering himself up, Danny kisses Kono's brow like he would do to Grace and shuffles out into the hallway.

Steve thanks Duke Lukela for something and pockets his phone. "Hey, partner." Steve makes a thank you grunt when Danny hands him the mug that reads 'Over Hill Over Dale'.

"Kawika said you wanted to see me?"

Steve takes a deep breath, letting it out in a large sloppy sigh. "Adam's tied up outside in the bed of Kawika's truck under Kapu guard. Duke's going to take him down to HPD and process him in for DV and then for terrorizing."

"Terrorizing?" Danny clarifies. "Separate from the domestic violence?"

"Yeah. Apparently, after he hit Kono, Adam turned up in Pupukea on a rampage. The Kapu ran him off for the safety of their families. _Then_ , Kawika and his boys hunted him down again for our convenience."

"And you called Duke?" Danny doesn't know whether to be pissed or grateful.

"Yeah, I was having this… fantasy about hauling him down to interrogation, cuffing him to the chair, and…" Steve rubs his free hand briskly over his face. "I decided I don't want to go to jail for that… _tojo_."

Of all the not-so-good things Steve can be, racially motivated is not one of them. Danny feels on the verge of a rant, but also emotionally drained. "Tojo, Steven?"

"Kawika's right; it's not nasty enough."

And surprisingly, the same can be said about Kawika ‒ haoles not-withstanding. "Kawika said that?"

Steve takes a sip of his tea, snorting unhappily. "Yeah. I can't think of anything worse, either." Steve shakes his head, like he wishes there really were worse things he could think of to describe Adam Noshimuri than a slightly antiquated racial slur. Honestly, Danny can't think of anything more relevant. Somehow, that seems a shame. "You know," Steve resumes in a very different tone, "we can probably see him from that window."

Sure enough, from the end of the hallway they are able to look down into the lifted bed of the pick-up. Danny thinks, ' _Special Delivery! Aloha. - the Kapu_.' They get there just in time to see an HPD cruiser pull into the parking lot. Adam struggles when Kawika's boys lift him down to the ground, and somehow manages to seem righteously indignant, even from so far away, as Duke unties him. The sergeant primly, and apparently as a complete shock to Adam, snaps a pair of cuffs on the soon-to-be divorcé. Danny finds the way Duke just crams Adam into the cage unusually satisfying.

 

\--

 

Steve turns to his partner as the Kapu take off after Duke in the truck. Danny looks pensive, but he's Danny; Steve only has to wait a few second for him to reveal his thoughts.

"How exactly do we tell Kono about _that_." 'That' clearly encompasses more than just the scene in the parking lot.

"How do we tell _Grace_?" Steve counters.

Danny's face goes cloudy, then determined. "We don't _tell_ her. We answer her _questions_ as directly as possible. She's twelve, not soft in the head." Steve knows that isn't what the father in either of them wants, but it's what Danny believes is the correct response, and he's a damn good parent, so Steve is going to accept the decision. And stick to it like gospel.

Steve and Danny return to the offices to find their partners, guest, and child on the floor playing Grace's rudely-named new favorite game. Kono seems her usual self. It's good to see, even if Danny knows it won't last long. Physically, Kono's probably been hurt worse tripping over her own two feet, but emotionally, this will be a long road. The HPD investigation. The trial. The potential ‒ scratch that ‒ the _likely_ press.

Maybe killing Marco Reyes had _done_ something to Danny? He was starting to think they should have killed Adam Noshimuri when they had the chance. Maybe if they were lucky, Halawa would do it for them.

**Author's Note:**

> Yup, Kawika's still my favorite character. Sorry no appropriate Lilo and Stitch quotes could be found for this one.
> 
> If anyone can think of a better title for this story, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm rubbish at titles. Please, help.


End file.
